Welcome...

Welcome! I'm Jan, a cookbook author, food writer & party planner, with a specialty in easy entertaining and celebrations for kids. I'm the Food Editor for SavvyMom Media & a contributor to several other family-focused publications. I live in Toronto with my husband and our two (almost three) sons.

Travel

When the boys were little, I decided that I wanted to take them somewhere special, just the two of us, for their 10th birthdays. As they get older it becomes harder for me to find things to do with them that's of great interest to them, so we make an effort to take a trip or spend time away from the house exploring, which is something we all enjoy.

When they were little it was easier to play on their level. I used to be goalie in Ben's driveway hockey games, but now that he is approaching 5'8", and armed with a wicked shot he can fire into the net from the blue line, I'm likely to be killed, or black and blue at the very least, if I strapped on the goalie pads today.

When Jackson was three or four I would hide little paw-prints all over the house, and spend my mornings pretending I was Steve, from Blue Clues. He insisted I wear the requisite striped shirt (he wore one, too), and sing before I could jump, not walk, through the doorways, but I did it. Today, he's over Blue Clues, and has moved onto other things, like Smallville, but I refuse to wear a letter "S" across my t-shirt and pretend my weakness is kryptonite.

It's much easier to travel.

While there, we saw all the monuments you might have expected us to view, and my little food-loving boy and I also managed to make our inaugural trip to Trader Joes, not to mention an outing to Pinkberry. We even stood in line for thirty minutes at Georgetown Cupcake to sample their famous confections, which were worthy of the wait.

We took a paddle boat ride around the tidal basin, and even though the Cherry Blossoms weren't in bloom, we still observed the intoxicatingly beautiful blue skies and scenic views, while pedaling around the little pond. Probably our favourite place was the Air and Space Museum, filled with artifacts from Amelia Earhart, the Wright Brothers, and an Apollo space mission.

Knowing that a visit there is about as galactic as I'm going to get with my boy, we spent a lot of time wandering the exhibitions and taking notes on astronomy, while discussing in great detail the Mars rover and Superman, of course. And while I didn't don a cape or expose any secret powers, I think I was a seen as a little bit of superhero in the eyes of my ten year old.

As much as we loved being in New York the week before last, we didn't enjoy trying to find places to eat. Places that would accommodate two boys who needed space to perform simple magic tricks with their purchases from FAO Schwartz, space for stroller storing and high chair eating, and space to change the baby somewhere other than the washroom floor. Trust me, it was much harder than you might think. And call us crazy, but air conditioning was an essential requirement as well, given that we were touring the city by foot in the middle of a record-setting heat wave, and it might surprise you to know that that was also not the easiest to find.

One afternoon, after searching the streets for about an hour we stumbled upon a little pub and it was fabulous. The decor was lovely, the music was great, they smiled when they saw us walking in with three sweat-soaked kids and the food was uber yummy.

I deviated from my normal pub grub choices and opted for the sandwich special: fried shrimp and shredded lettuce with horseradish mayo on toasted egg bread. Perfection. Paired with seasoned sweet potato fries, it was one of my favourite things I ate while we were away. Which naturally means I needed to re-create it when we came home.

The first Saturday night back, I made these sandwiches for Rob and I. I pan-fried the shrimp, swapped the shredded lettuce for a simple slaw made with radicchio, carrots and romaine, and the horseradish mayo was replaced with a chipotle aioli, all of which was stacked on a focaccia bun.

Side Note: I would've made them for the kids as well, but Jackson is on an I-want-to-make-my-own-dinner kick, and I'm just rolling with it. Twice a weak he hulls out the ingredients to make a pizzas sandwiches for him and Ben. My favourite thing about him cooking is how very serious he takes this task. He kindly asks Ben what he would like on his, he chops, grates and spreads his toppings and he always sprinkles a little dried oregano over the top of each pizza (so adorable), which must be made on buns or a baguette.

I don't want to say mine version was better, but....it kind of was. Rob couldn't eat it fast enough, and insisted I write about it, so here you go. My New York City dinner made my way, with air conditioning and kid-friendly spaces included for free.

Fried Shrimp Sandwiches

Don't let the lengthy list of ingredients deter you from making this sandwich. It comes together easily and more quickly than you might imagine.

2 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon water

1 cup panko or Italian breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon each of sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 cup chopped radicchio

1 cup chopped romaine

1 cup grated carrots

lime juice

1/2 cup mayo

1 can chipotle peppers, juiced drained and reserved

4 focaccia buns

Place the flour in a small bowl, the beaten egg and water in another, and the panko and chili powder in a third. Stir the panko and chili powder to combine.

Heat the oil over medium high heat until it's hot and slightly bubbling.

Dredge the shrimp in the flour, dip it in the egg, and coat all sides with the panko. Fry until golden brown, about one and half minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining shrimp, and place them on a paper towel lined plate when cooked.

Toss the radicchio, romaine and carrots together in a medium sized bowl and drizzle with the juice of half a lime. Season with salt and pepper, and add more lime if necessary. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine the mayo and 1 teaspoon of the reserved chipotle liquid. Roughly chop one of the chipotle peppers and add it to the bowl. Mix well to combine.

Slice open the focaccia buns and lightly coat each side with a smear of the chipotle mayo. Top one side with five or six pieces of the fried shrimp, cover with a hearty scoop of the slaw and top with the remaining bun.

I'm back home after spending most of last week in New York City with Ben and Jackson, my sister and my five month old niece. We drove there and, to quote the border guard, were "quite brave" to tackle the trip with three young kids.

It was a great week though, and the kids were troupers as they traipsed through the streets of Manhattan in the obviously obtrusive heat, with sweat-beaded brows, sore heels and strollers that are seemingly offensive to the NYC public transportation officials.

But as fun as it was, it is even better to be home. And coming back, means a return to cooking and meal planning. I like this week's menu a lot. I think it's really representative of how we most like to eat, and while some weeks are more popular than others, I do think this week will thrill the masses.

What have you been cooking up these days? Anything exceptional? Please feel free to link to any great recipes you've made or come across, in the comments section.

As much as I love to cook and spend time in the kitchen, I like to write about it even more. I feel very fortunate to be able to spend a small amount of my time composing articles for a variety of sources. I love nothing more than a new writing assignment, and if I can write about subjects I feel passionate about, even better.

Here are a few articles I've written over the past month. Pour yourself a glass of sweet iced tea, pull up a chair and enjoy a few good - and hopefully helpful - reads.

Once spring arrives, I eagerly anticipate weekend trips to local antique markets in search of must-have vintage items. Kitchen goods usually, although I've also been known to score a few other furnishings while out antiquing (tavern-turned-coffee-table for $20!)

Last year I decided to hunt for vintage hand mixers. Perfect for little fingers, I thought the mixers would be a great addition to our kitchen gadgets and something I could buy specifically for the boys to use when they wanted to work alongside me in the kitchen.

Boy, am I glad I purchased some of these! I picked up two over the course of the summer, for no more than $5 a piece, and gave them a good scrubbing. They now hang in the kitchen, ready for use, whenever the mood strikes one of the kids.

Jackson put his retro find to use this week when he worked on some homemade pudding. With little explanation from me, he was able to navigate this simple recipe. He needed both hands for mixing, so we placed the bowl on a wet towel to prevent it from sliding on the counter. The gadget went from bowl to pot quite easily and other than a measuring spoon, cup and spatula no dishes were required.

We're off to my wonder market this coming Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed that I happen upon a few other great finds!

Combine the cornstarch, sugar and cocoa in a medium saucepan. Add the almond milk and stir until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Allow to boil for 1 minute and reduce the heat to low. Add semisweet chocolate and stir until melted (3-4 minutes).

Remove from heat, add vanilla and stir. Pour into teacups or individual ramekins and refrigerate for two hours. Sieve a little confectioners sugar on the top and serve.

We began road tripping when the boys were quite young (2.5 and 4 yrs). Our first trip took us eight hours away and since then we've done yearly getaways taking us six to twenty-six hours on the road. While I wouldn't consider myself a road-tripping expert, I do think we've mastered a few tricks I'd love to pass along.

Essentially a good road trip comes down to three things - The Forethought, The Fun and The Food. Oh my, how important is the food! We've learned, the hard way, that it is almost essential to have good food on a road trip. But first things first.

The Forethought

Or in other words, the planning. The organization of a road trip is essential to a positive experience. Detailed maps and directions, designated pit-stops, plenty of gas, necessary papers (passports) in an easy to locate spot. Predetermined time of departure and estimated time for arrival are also important aspects to plans. Lots of forethought equals lots of fun.

The Fun

Crucial to a good road trip, is lots of fun. When the boys were little I would pack "bins of fun" for our trips. Small baskets filled with an assortment of entertainment would be placed between them. The bins were meant to last two hours and I would pack as many as were needed for the duration of the trip (eight hours on the road = four bins). We would stop every two hours for a leg-stretch, trip to the washroom and a bin swap. Each bin would contain one small surprise (something new I purchased or borrowed for the trip), and the anticipation of the swap was almost as fun as the packages themselves.

We don't do movies in the car unless we're travelling for more than three hours at a time. If that's the case we pack some favourite movies and individual DVD players for the road. Often I will add in a new movie (bought or borrowed) and that guarantees almost two hours of quiet. Lastly, we make a family music CD. Each person chooses five songs and I make a compilation of the tunes for the road.

The Food

For us, the most important part of the road trip. Hard experience has taught us that nothing good can be found on the road somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Too often we've been forced to face the villains of the vending machine and as such we rarely travel without a nice supply of good food.

Fruit and veggies are always a must-have but they can get a little boring after a while. Muffins, pretzels, sandwiches, drinks, granola bars, cheese and crackers, breads and meats are just a few of the options we now include.

Ben and I are road-tripping from Toronto to New York City today and here is what we're packing:

Lemon-Poppyseed Muffins

Yogurt

Chocolate covered strawberries

Grapes

Assorted sandwiches

Carrots, celery, cucumber and hummus

Granola bars

Cheese and chocolate

I expect we'll be on the open road for eight hours, over both breakfast and lunch, so we'll be well supplied of good, REAL food.

Have a good week friends...I'll be back next Monday. But tell me, are you a road-tripping family? What are your secrets to success?

Avocado, Bacon and Goat Cheese Sandwich

1 baguette

1 avocado

1 tbsp mayo

salt and pepper, to taste

lettuce

tomato

10 slices of bacon, cooked

goat cheese

Scoop out the insides of the avocado into a bowl and mash with the back of a fork. Add the mayo and salt and pepper (to your taste) and mash together to create a smooth spread.

Slice open the baguette, lengthwise.Spread one side of the sandwich with goat cheese and the other side with the avocado mash.

Layer the lettuce, bacon and tomato on one side of the bread. Close it up and and slice into four sandwiches.